Cartier
announced the eight winners of its 2021 Women s Initiative Awards, with Basima Abdulrahman from Iraq scooping the top prize for the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), for her company Kesk.
Speaking with The National, Abdulrahman explained what this recognition means. Winning Cartier Women s Initiative award and being selected as a laureate in the MENA region makes me feel more hopeful and stronger. It sends a powerful message that our work is needed now more than ever. Women-led start-ups received only 2.3 per cent of venture capital funding in 2020 and even fewer became unicorns. The CWI initiative is important because it is challenging social norms and gender stereotypes to unlock women’s potential. It provides access to capital, human resources, and a leadership capacity development program. Its success lies